After fifty-five days following the orchestrated assault on the Enforcement Directorate and Central Armed Police Forces personnel in Sandeshkhali, Sheikh Shahjahan, the fugitive orchestrator of the attack and a local Trinamool Congress leader, has been apprehended by the state police.
While the precise details regarding the time and location of the arrest remain undisclosed by the state police, it's noteworthy that the arrest coincides with remarks made by Calcutta High Court Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam. On Wednesday, the Chief Justice stated that any investigative body, whether state or central, possesses the authority to detain Shahjahan, against whom numerous complaints of oppressing local residents have accumulated over recent years.
Interestingly, the leader of the opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, remarked that the Trinamool leader had been in the protective custody of the 'Mamata Police' since midnight on Tuesday.
According to the latest updates, Shahjahan is being held in a lockup within the premises of the Basirhat Sub-divisional court and is scheduled for a court appearance this morning upon the resumption of court proceedings.
The state administration had faced mounting pressure over Shahjahan's continued evasion, with widespread criticism alleging that he was being shielded by the state police. Numerous local residents in Sandeshkhali claimed to have sighted him in and around the North 24 Parganas district.
Additionally, a faction within the Trinamool Congress leadership had begun asserting that the state police were unable to apprehend him due to a purported stay order issued by the Calcutta High Court. However, Justice Sivangnanam clarified on both Tuesday and Wednesday that there was no such stay order, but rather a stay on the formation of a joint investigation committee involving the CBI and state police to probe the attack on ED and CAPF personnel.
Political analysts opine that following Justice Sivangnanam's clarification on Wednesday, asserting that any agency, whether state or central, had jurisdiction to arrest Shahjahan, the state police came under considerable pressure to swiftly act in detaining him.
Sandeshkhali had been witnessing unrest in recent weeks, with local residents, particularly women, taking to the streets to protest against the oppression, including allegations of sexual harassment, by Shahjahan and his associates over the years.
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